The Cure will bring the world premiere of Disintegration 30th anniversary concert to Sydney Opera House

Their Reflections concerts for the 2011 Vivid Live were euphoric. Now The Cure will launch the 30th anniversary celebrations of their Disintegration record in Sydney in May.

Kathy McCabe

News Corp Australia NetworkFebruary 19, 201912:25pm

Solange performs 'Losing You' at Vivid0:37

Solange Knowles performs her hit 'Losing You' at Vivid 2018.

June 4th 2018

10 months ago

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The Cure will premiere the global celebrations of the 30th anniversary of their biggest-selling record Disintegration with four concerts at the Sydney Opera House for the annual Vivid Live festival.

The British goth rock pioneers will perform the album in its entirety — and other fan favourites — on May 24, 25, 27 and 28.

The Opera House has opened a ballot for the opportunity to buy tickets with huge demand expected from fans in Australia and overseas.

The Cure will headline the 2019 Vivid Live festival. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

The ballot will be open until Sunday and “successful applicants will be chosen at random from within the allocations designated for visitors and locals”. Tickets will range from $99 to $249 plus booking fees.

Disintegration was partly an attempt by The Cure’s creative genius Robert Smith to sabotage the band’s new-found popularity on the pop charts thanks to a succession of hit singles including The Love Cats, In Between Days, Close To Me and Why Can’t I Be You?

As he wrote the album, Smith was also depressed by the realisation he would soon turn 30 and was determined to write his magnum opus before he reached the milestone.

Robert Smith and The Cure delivered transcendent performances at the 2011 Vivid Live. Picture: Supplied.Source:Supplied

Ironically, the album would prove to be the most popular of the band’s career, with the singles Lullaby, Fascination Street, Lovesong and Pictures Of You propelling Disintegration into the top 10 worldwide and on to sales of more than three million copies.

Lovesong still remains one of the band’s most adored songs with more than 100 million streams.

Smith lamented that The Cure “despite my best efforts, actually became everything that I didn’t want us to become: a stadium rock band”.

No doubt that was a factor in Vivid Live winning the world premiere of the Disintegration anniversary production in the much smaller and prestigious confines of the Opera House Concert Hall.

The British band last graced that stage in 2011 when they performed their first three albums in full for Vivid Live.